High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)

A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and the friend then conspire to blackmail the robbers for $2 million.

Director:

Mel Smith

Writers:

Kim Fuller (story), Georgia Pritchett (story),

Stars:

Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Kevin McNally

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Minnie Driver	...	Shannon
Mary McCormack	...	Frances
Kevin McNally	...	Mason
Mark Williams	...	Tremaine
Danny Dyer	...	Danny
Michael Gambon	...	Kerrigan
Darren Boyd	...	Ray
Simon Scardifield	...	Tony
Len Collin	...	Barry
Jane Partridge	...	Receptionist
Jason Griffiths	...	Paramedic
Ranjit Krishnamma	...	Doctor
Mark Meadows	...	Romantic actor
Ben Walden	...	Bloodied actor
Michael Attwell	...	Duty Sergeant (as Mike Attwell)

Storyline

Two best girlfriends living in London suddenly find themselves battling wits with seasoned criminals when they decide to blackmail the culprits of a bank heist in their neighborhood rather than reporting the crime to the police. Refusing to be played by this new competition and give up the demanded $2 million, the leaders of the gang of robbers (Kevin McNally and Michael Gambon) decide to start playing dirty tricks, threaten violence and counterfeit money in an effort to throw the two women (played by Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack) off course. When the blackmail and counter attacks hurt an innocent bystander, the kooky best friends must use their friendship to empower each other to lure the hardened criminals into a risky trap.

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Plot Keywords:

blackmail | nurse | diver's watch | attempted murder | bank robbery | 

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Taglines:

Crime has never been so attractive

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and nudity

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Verbrechen verführt

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$113,512 (USA) (26 October 2001)

Gross:

$226,792 (USA) (9 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fragile Films, High Heels Productions Limited, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mel Smith:  Pushing past Mason at the train station whilst he is trying to explain to the ticket collector why he has not got a ticket.

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Goofs

On the train ride from London to Brighton there is an announcement "Next stop Haywards Heath" just before the train stops and the characters get of the train. The actors actually get off at Preston Park station (blurred sign visible).

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Quotes

Clubber: How 'bout a shag?
Frances: How about a punch in the mouth?

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Crazy Credits

The producer would like to thank ... The Residents of Lower Kingswood (All that gunfire) ...

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Connections

References Mission: Impossible (1966)

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Soundtracks

"The More I See You"
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Mack Gordon
Performed by Chris Montez

User Reviews

Implausible but fun.

This movie starts out unremarkable, but it gets better, so stick with it. It is alternately silly (mostly in the first and last 15 minutes) and edgy (in the middle), but if you can ignore the various implausibilities (why would such a well-organized and highly professional team of robbers have such a moron as their lookout in the first place?) it's fun, with engaging performances particularly by Minnie Driver and Kevin McNally (who does the right thing by playing his role straight). In any case, it is much better than the very similar and mean-spirited "Beautiful Creatures" from the same year. (**1/2)